Staying Behind

This is a picture of most of the people from St. Paul's who came to the 5th Avenue Health Care Center on Sunday afternoon to sing Christmas Carols. The picture was taken right after we made the loop around the twenty-five or so rooms of the Center.

A few people had stayed behind in the building, among them the Sherwoods. Doug, Sadie and their young daughter Kate used to come to the Health Care Center once a month on Saturday mornings with others from St. Paul's to participate in activities with the residents. I remember joining them one Saturday last February to make Valentines. They hadn't been in a while because over the summer they had their second child, Pierce. So, after the singing they wanted to reconnect with Melvin and all their other friends at the Center. They also wanted to introduce them to Pierce.

The biggest joy of this event each year is watching the faces of the residents light up as one of our children hands them a card or sings to them. You can tell they are hungry for a connection beyond the walls of the Center. By showing up on those Saturdays, the Sherwoods had made some real friendships. They made the right choice by staying behind and reconnecting.

I recently learned that a wise Christian, George MacDonald, once said that the key question in life is: 'what have I done today simply because the Lord asked?' It may be that today the Lord is asking us to linger a while and reconnect with someone who needs or would take delight in our presence. There is much, particular in this season, that urges us forward to the next thing. But it may be the case that, for us, following Jesus means staying behind.

I hope to see you this Sunday after the 10am service when we gather as a community to decorate the church for Christmas and create by hand the great rope of greens we hang each year of the Rood screen.